Must it always come down to God’s Law versus God’s Grace? May the two never coexist in the life of a Christian? Law and grace, contrary to the beliefs of mainstream Christianity, do not contradict each other, but work together. If the Law no longer existed, we wouldn’t have to worry about breaking it and grace would therefore not be needed. However the Law not only exists, but it still applies to us today!
Revelation 22:14 plainly says, “Blessed are they that do His Commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” If we want to live forever in God’s Kingdom we have only to keep His Commandments. Matthew 5:17 explains that Christ did not come to destroy the Law. Why in the world would God want to be surrounded for all eternity by a bunch of reprobates?
However, if there is no grace, all is lost, for no one is perfectly obedient to the Law. Note how Paul explains that grace does not negate the law in Romans 3:20, 30-31, 6:1-2. Romans 12:3 tells us that God has given each of us a measure of faith to grow as our part in the process. We access grace through our faith, which leads to our salvation.
A scribe, trying to trap Jesus, asked which was the greatest of the Commandments. They had clever comebacks to respond to whatever answer our Lord gave. But Christ stated that the purpose of the Law was to demonstrate how to love God (The first four) and how to love mankind (included in the last six). See Mark 12:28-31. Christ informed the Pharisees that the Sabbath was meant to serve mankind not the other way around. Jesus went out of his way to violate their stifling Sabbath rulings. Note Mark 2:27. God’s Laws are good for us when properly administered in love!
The purpose of the law is not, nor has it ever been, the achievement of salvation; It is to help us grow spiritually and keep us out of trouble. The law is for our benefit but never do we EARN salvation thereby. Ephesians 2:9 reminds us that our salvation is not because of works lest any man should boast. We cannot earn spiritual points to pay off our salvation. It is a free gift. Note Job 35:5-8. Some of the Jewish groups had a perspective of earning salvation by using the law. That is not the purpose of the law and we cannot be that perfect. However, God wants us to walk obediently and when we slip, to repent and continue in the way that is right. Even though we are under grace and not the law, Paul explains that we should “walk obediently in newness of life.” See Romans 6:4; 14-15, 7:7.
Grace is not a new doctrine that started at Pentecost. No, grace was a factor in the Old Testament as well. Jonah knew of God’s generous grace. That is why he ran away from warning Nineveh, Israel’s enemy. He was afraid God would be gracious to them. An example of how Jonah could have felt would be if one of us was commissioned to go preach to ISIS. See Jonah 4:2.
God, through Elisha was gracious to a pagan general. See II King 5:18-19. David often received of God’s love and graciousness. The very God of the Old Testament period was the one who became a man, Jesus Christ. Grace was every bit at play in the Old Testament as the New.
Jesus referred in Matt 12:3-4 to an old historic event in which God allowed David, in an emergency, to violate some temple food laws. Why? Because God is gracious, not petty. People seem to think the God of the Old Testament was like a computer: He would blindly push the smite button no matter the details. What a terrible misunderstanding of God! Noah was also saved by grace. He was not perfect either. See Gen. 6:5-6.
In Acts 15 we read that Paul convened a ministerial conference in AD 49 to handle the controversy some Judaizers were creating in God’s churches. The Gentiles were being told by certain Pharisees that they could not be saved without circumcision, even though God gave the Holy Spirit to uncircumcised Gentiles in a very public manner (see Acts 10:44-45, Acts 15:7-11). The conference decided to continue following God’s lead and to not require circumcision of Gentiles. The Judaizers could not refute this policy openly and fairly so they went into stealth mode, working behind Paul’s back. After he had started a new congregation in the empire, they would infiltrate and attempt to make “good Jews” of them all.
Remember that for years Christians — though a new and diverse group — were still considered a sect within Judaism. These Pharisees nearly undermined the Galatian church with the more Jewish approach of earning your salvation by keeping the traditions of Judaism and being circumcised. Christ himself criticized many of those traditions.
These Judaizers “strained at a gnat while swallowing a camel” Note Matthew 15:2-6. The Pharisees knew circumcision would be a barrier to any Gentiles joining the church. They also hoped to gain favor with other Jews. It was just the normal human ethnic bias exploited by the devil throughout history. See Galatians 2:11-14.
Paul admonished them; they were no longer living by all the Jewish customs so why try to force Gentiles in that direction? He was shocked at how soon the Galatians were undermined by their Judaizing. He said that any new gospel was an apostasy (Galatians 1:8-9) Paul explained to them that the law and grace are partners and both are needed for salvation. (Galatians 2:17-18)
Paul wonders about the church at Galatia, “Who bewitched you” to move away from the importance of faith and grace in addition to obedience to God’s Law. In Galatians 3 he goes on to explain that the law is not against faith and grace, but works together with them. How could you realize your need for forgiveness if you did not know what you had done wrong?
Paul employs an allegory comparing the human method of using Hagar, Sarah’s handmaid, to produce the promised heir and the spiritual method of faith in the Lord’s promise of Abraham’s future son. The spiritual method was linked by faith with heavenly Jerusalem. The physical method was linked with worldly Jerusalem, where the people were enslaved by a litany of burdensome rules (Galatians 4:24-27).
The Pharisee’s approach is a self-righteous form of trying to earn our salvation. They were attempting to separate the church from the balanced, sound leadership of Paul. Paul condemns their pretense and warns that they are not fully obeying God’s Law themselves. They operate in selective obedience. (Galatians 6:12-13)
The yoke of dictatorial religious leaders was indeed heavy, but Jesus said His yoke is light. Paul states that we are to remain free of a religious system that enslaves its followers under oppressive rules (Galatians 5:1-3). Yet he reminds us to not abuse our freedom by going again into sin (breaking God’s Law). Truly mature Christians are both free and obedient! (See Galatians 5:13.)
All of God’s churches need to guard against the infiltration of “new” doctrines that were not delivered to us from the Bible, including the misconception of salvation by works, instead of through faith and the mercy of our Savior, Jesus Christ or that grace somehow nullifies the perfect Law of God.
Further scriptures to study on this subject:
- Mark 12:28-31 – Keeping the greatest Commandement.
- Mark 2:27-28 – Who the Sabbath is really for.
- Romans 3:30-31, 6:1-2 – Faith and the Law work together.
- Ephesians 2:8-10 – Faith is shown through our works.
- Acts 10:44-45 – Holy Spirit given to both Jews and Gentiles.
- Galatians 2:17-18, 3:21 – Refraining from a sinful life.
